Hot Head Burritos will celebrate the opening of its newest “Centerville Cantina” restaurant by giving away 500 burritos and by offering special discount pricing on the restaurant’s self-pour “wall of beer” tap system that includes craft beer, margaritas and mixed drinks.

Opening day for the Hot Head Cantina is today, Monday April 15, at 6230 Far Hills Ave., adjacent to an existing Jimmy John’s sandwich shop and in space that previously housed a Mike’s Nashville Hot restaurant.

The new Hot Head will be giving away 250 free burritos starting at 5 p.m. today, and beer and margaritas from the restaurant’s 27-tap system will be half-off through April, Hot Head officials said Sunday in a release. Customers with valid ID can utilize a special bracelet that allows them to sample and pour beverages from the taps, up to a pre-set limit.

“We can't wait for Centerville and the Dayton region to experience the coolest new technology in the exploding craft-beer segment,” Ray Wiley, president of Hot Head Burritos franchising and store operator, said in a release.

This new Hot Head Burritos Cantina opens today, April 15, 2019 on Far Hills Avenue in Centerville.

In addition to traditional Hot Head menu items, the cantina will offer new bar snacks such as jalapeno poppers, burrito bites, churros, and the “Cantina Nachos.”

The 2,700-square-foot restaurant seats up to 88 people plus 50 more on the patio, and will employ 25 to 35 people. It is still actively hiring; Interested applicants can go to https://hotheadburritos.com/application and select the “Centerville Far Hills” tab for more information.

Hot Head Burritos was founded in Dayton in 2007 and has grown to over 75 locations in seven states.

**ORIGINAL STORY (March 7, 2019)***

The new Hot Head Burritos Cantina and Mexican Grill that is gearing up to open before the end of March in Centerville will offer diners a self-pour “wall of beer” system that will also include a handful of liquor options.

“Craft beer is all the rage right now,” Hot Head spokesman Jim Savakinas said, and the new system will offer customers a variety of options as well as convenience.

The system installed earlier this week at the restaurant at 6230 Far Hills Ave. boasts 27 taps, Savakinas said. Beer will flow from 19 taps, margarita options from three, and spirits such as tequila and bourbon will be available at five taps. The restaurant does not have a license to serve wine.

A handful of other Dayton-area restaurants have self-pouring alcohol options, but the Centerville Hot Head is the first to install a system from IPourIt, based in Lake Forest, California. It won’t be the last: a similar IPourIt system is being installed this week at Rapid Fired Pizza’s original restaurant on Miamisburg-Centerville Road in Washington Twp.

“Hot Head Burritos chose to implement the self-serve concept and to work with iPourIt because the great technology system and data reporting make it is easy for both the customer and operator,” Kelly Gray, director of real estate at Hot Head Burritos, said in a release.

The new Hot Head Burritos Cantina and Mexican Grill that is gearing up to open before the end of March in Centerville will offer diners a self-pour “wall of beer” system that will also include a handful of liquor options.

Photo: Mark Fisher

The pour-your-own concept allows customers to pour their own beverage, make their own buying and pricing decisions, avoid long bar lines, and sample options before committing to a full glass, IPourIt officials said.

To use the IPourIt system, customers must present a driver’s license and credit card and are then given an electronic wristband that allows them to access the taps up to a dollar limit. Customers browse beverage options by viewing a digital screen atop each tap.

Customers can sample an ounce of beer, find their favorite and then obtain a 12-ounce pour. Once a dollar limit is reached, the wristbands no longer activate the taps.

If successful at the new Centerville restaurant, the self-serve taps will show up at other locations of Hot Head Burritos’ new “Cantina and Mexican Grill” concept, Savakinas said.

Savakinas is putting the finishing touches on the 2,600-square-foot Centerville restaurant that will open in the space that previously held a Mike’s Nashville Hot eatery. It is adjacent to a Jimmy John’s sandwich shop.

The new Hot Head will seat 86 inside and 56 on a patio. It will have 14 large-screen televisions and will employ about 30, Savakinas said. The opening date has not been set, but will likely come before the end of the month, he said.